The Star of Bethlehem was seen by magi from Babylonia. The Babylonian magi were famous for their ability to read the skies. They recorded and calculated the movements of the stars and planets, and thus laid the foundations for modern astronomy. The purpose of following the stars was originally to read the will of the gods, and the movements of the planets were interpreted using the ancient divination manual Enuma Anu Enlil. Some of the ancient diviners still interpreted the sky when Christ was born. However, their former capital, the city of Babylon, was slowly falling into ruin under the rule of the Parthian king, who occupied the country and endorsed the Greek culture.

“A physician without a knowledge of astrology had better call himself a fool rather than a physician.” This statement was made by Hippocrates (450-377 BC), the father of modern medicine and the source of the Hippocratic oath, an vow taken by all Sanctified Healers of SMOKH.

The Order of the Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Mary of Bethlehem claimed direct descent from the Byzantine Emperors. The Order’s origins, according to their own published “History of the Order of Shepherds of Bethlehem,” claimed that:

"In 1875, a prominent officer named Sir Fred Holt... went to the Holy Land to study the Order how it existed among the shepherds as it originally existed and is now in the home of these ancient people of the Holy Land. He learned all the old legends and methods of the Order, and on his return, presented the Order in its original form, translated and put in modern shape. By special arrangement, the Supreme Lodge of North America was formed in 1896, and instructed in the beautiful ceremonies of this old and wondrous Order. The Supreme Lodge of North America, by authority of the Sovereign Lodge, is the supreme authority in North America."

The Order of Shepherds of Bethlehem (OSB) was a fraternal society that admitted both men and women, and provided sick and death benefits for their members. It was founded on November 19,1896 in Trenton, NJ. Many OSB Lodges contained the word “star” in their name. Male members were addressed as “Sir,” and female members addressed as “Lady.” The Order was comprised mainly of Christian women and men of the Protestant tradition, became predominately a women’s organization by the 1950s and 1960s, and waned out of existence as of the early 1970s.

We have revived the Priory of the Star of Bethlehem. The foundation text is STELLAR MEDCINE which can be ordered here. A full medical astrology, personal report (60+ pages) can be ordered here. Report includes a copy of the book Stellar Medicine.

The Priory is composed of aspirants to monastic medical astrology working towards a Doctorate degree. Membership includes a complete course of online study, video seminaries, computer program to generate reports, etc. You can begin enrollment here.